For Brides, Preferred Vendor Spotlight, Weddings

filed in

The Mill at Fine Creek: Preferred Vendor Spotlight | A Lush and Intimate Garden Wedding Venue

I got the chance to go scope out the charming The Mill at Fine Creek in Powhatan, VA a few weeks ago and I wanted to feature them in a wedding venue Preferred Vendor Spotlight! I would absolutely love to branch out with weddings in the Richmond and surrounding areas, and let me tell you that as soon as I drove down the path to their venue, I was already in love. I got the chance to sit down with the coordinator Colleen and ask her a few questions about The Mill as I got a tour of the grounds, so I wanted to share some information with all brides who are searching for a wedding venue!

The Mill at Fine Creek is such a perfect wedding venue because it has everything centralized in one-location; you don’t have to worry about lag time or shuffling guests around from venue to venue because it’s all right there for your guests! It also has:

  • a private, natural setting with multiple ceremony location options
  • 13 private guest cottages that friends/family can conveniently stay in before and after the wedding
  • their catering is all made from scratch in-house and is notoriously been raved by guests
  • their mill ruins are a very popular and unique feature for a wedding ceremony site
  • and they even have a brewery there, which is a huge bonus for guests during their weekend stay there!

If you are looking for a lush, intimate garden wedding venue in the woods on a babbling creek, you’ll find The Mill at Fine Creek to be a fairytale option.  If you want to reserve your wedding date with them, be sure to book early! They are already getting inquiries for 2019! I just had to share this Preferred Vendor Spotlight with you all today, so let’s begin. 😉

The Mill at Fine Creek

The Mill at Fine Creek wedding venue in Powhatan VA signA building at The Mill at Fine Creek in Powhatan VAThe mill ruins wedding ceremony site at The Mill at Fine CreekDetails at The Mill at Fine Creek preferred wedding venue spotlightThe creek at The Mill at Fine Creek in Powhatan

When did The Mill at Fine Creek open?

This July we will have been open 13 years!

The main building at The Mill at Fine Creek reception space exteriorThe path to creek sign at The Mill at Fine Creek

How many guests does The Mill at Fine Creek hold for an event?

We can have up to 225 guests for a cocktail buffet reception. Our max seating is about 170-180.

The reception space at The Mill at Fine CreekFarm table at The Mill at Fine Creek in Powhatan

How far out should a client pay a deposit to secure your services?

It varies based on time of year! I would say that the two most popular months are May and October, so you may want to jump on it sooner if one of those two months is what you are planning for, but around a year out is generally what we advise. Currently, we have quite a few weddings booked for 2018 and even inquiries for 2019!

Details of the ruins at The Mill at Fine CreekThe entrance sign at The Mill at Fine Creek in VirginiaThe creek and details of wedding venue The Mill at Fine Creek

What feature/element of your venue are brides most often excited about?

I would say the privacy for sure – since we only do only one event per day, you don’t have to worry about sharing your day with anyone. I think it is it’s own little magical world out here, it’s a bit secluded but not so far out that your guests are driving far – we are twenty minutes from Short Pump. I think that those are the two big perks for most people!

Inside of the ruins at The Mill at Fine Creek ceremony site locationThe babbling creek at The Mill at Fine Creek wedding venue

Most brides worry about what happens if they have rain on their wedding day — what is your ceremony setup like on a rainy day?

You do have the option of moving indoors to the main space. We move the tables over to the side of the dance floor and partition it off so that we have chairs set up, much like a church would be set. And then after the ceremony, everyone heads out to cocktail hour in the front where we close the doors and flip the room. That decision doesn’t have to be made until an hour and a half before the wedding, so there’s no rush for them!

Interior photo of the reception space at The Mill at Fine Creek

What makes The Mill at Fine Creek unique?

Many things! The privacy of it would be one feature. I think the setting has everything a lot of people love – it’s not a vineyard but it has the look of a country vineyard wedding. It’s a private facility and not open to the public so you’re not competing with other people walking around, it’s just you and your guests. The food is home-made here! The owner of the venue started in flowers and went into catering and she is very hands-on, so the food is a huge draw and we can accommodate lots of dietary restrictions. The ruins are a big feature but we also have multiple ceremony locations, so there is a little something for everybody!

Another angle of the ruins at The Mill at Fine CreekCeremony setup inside ruins at The Mill at Fine CreekAnother ceremony site location option at The Mill at Fine Creek

What is your best piece of planning advice to a new bride?

I often sit down with brides and tell them to make a list of all the things of that entail a wedding: flowers, cake, food, dress – and actually number them in order of what is the most important thing to them, and what is the thing that if you had to live without, you could. For some people, flowers are very important, and for others, flowers may not be at the top of their list. For some people, it might be the food that’s important, but knowing this and putting things in order of importance can help with your budget.

Sweetheart table and reception table setup at The Mill at Fine Creek

What’s your ideal couple like?

I would say that we love for them to be involved and to be fun, which we find that most couples are! I find most couples know what they want, which is great because it’s a lot easier when they are decisive, but also trust your vendors and know who you’ve hired and that they do this for a living. Defer to your vendors when you’re unsure about something! You should ask them, “Here’s what I would like to do, is this going to work?” and listen to the professionals who do this every weekend.

The ceremony ruins setup at The Mill at Fine CreekPowhatan Virginia creek wedding venue

And here is a preview of the 13 adorable guest cottages they have on-site:

Guest cottages at The Mill at Fine Creek wedding venueA few of the guest cottages at The Mill at Fine Creek wedding venueDetail shot of guest cottages at wedding venue in Powhatan

As well as the bridal suite:

Bridal suite setup at The Mill at Fine CreekDresser in bridal suite of The Mill at Fine Creek venueRoom shot of bridal suite at The Mill at Fine Creek

And Miller’s Cottage, the space where the guys get ready!

Miller's Cottage front entrance dining area at The Mill at Fine CreekDetails and kitchen area of Miller's Cottage guys getting ready space at The Mill at Fine Creek

To learn more about The Mill at Fine Creek, you can visit their website and see their reviews on WeddingWire!

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *